A Change of Heart
by Joe-Kerr001
Summary: Sergeant Riley Drexel finds herself at the end of the world. When she joins the group of survivors, will she be able to break down the wall a certain redneck has around his heart? Daryl/oc
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! I've decided to write a Walking Dead fic... hopefully it'll be as good as it is in my head.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides my OC, Riley Drexel... but I wish I owned Daryl. *wink wink***

* * *

On still, quiet nights Riley Drexel would find herself lost in thought. She would often think about the dead, and those who weren't.  
It had all happened so quickly. One moment, she was arriving at the Jackson Municipal Airport, then the next she was sinking a large knife into the soft, rotting flesh of a walker.

It was like something out of a zombie comic.

Riley was currently laying down in the backseat of a stolen impala she picked up in Tennessee. Turning over onto her side, Riley quickly gave up trying to sleep. The heat was making it impossible to relax. Her tank was reeking of sweat, and she could feel a few beads of the salty liquid roll down her back.  
Riley sipped what was left of her water, and nibbled on some jerky. She would need to find more provisions soon.

Maneuvering into the front seat, Riley jumpstarted the car and began driving.

She wasn't entirely sure where she was headed, not that it mattered anymore... everything was either blown sky high, or overrun with the dead. She was about two hours from Atlanta, maybe she could see what she could scrounge together.

The morning sun was rising, making her squint her eyes against the bright light.  
Stopping the car outside the city limits, Riley decided walking was the smartest option.  
Slipping an empty backpack on, Riley draped a blanket over the things she was leaving behind. The last thing she needed was for someone to see what was left of her supplies in the backseat, and steal everything.

Riley opened the trunk of the impala, and grabbed her large kukri knife, fastening the sheath to her belt, she also grabbed her colt argentine 1911 with a silencer, and slipped it into its holster. Slamming the trunk closed, Riley silently made her way into the dead city.

The smell of rotten flesh was overpowering. Riley had smelt death before, but never this strong.

Spotting a sporting goods store nearby, Riley took her knife out of its holster and quietly entered the store. Creeping through the aisles, Riley had to be sure she didn't stumble over the things covering the floor. Riley grabbed several boxes of protein bars, some new shirts, a few packs of powdered camping food, and a small first aid kit. Not finding anything else of use in the store, Riley stuffed her goodies into the backpack. Turning to leave, Riley came face to face with a lanky asian holding a shotgun.

Bringing out her left leg, she effectively kicked the boys feet out from underneath him, resulting in him sprawled on the floor.  
Riley kicked the shotgun away and pointed her knife at his terrified face. She placed a foot on his chest to stop him from wiggling away.

"Woah, woah! Not dead, not dead, I'm not dead!" He raised his hands as a sign of surrender.  
"Who are you? What do you want?" Her voice was calm, and her eyes hard.  
The asian licked his lips, "I'm just getting supplies, same as you."  
Riley considered his answer for a moment before taking her booted foot off the boy and offered him a hand up. "Is it just you?"  
"Yes. Well, no. I'm with a group. We needed more supplies, I came alone."

Riley's head snapped up, "A group? How many are with you?"  
"Uhh..." he scratched his head through the cap he wore, "about sixteen, maybe."

Riley was speechless. In the whole time the dead started to rise, Riley hadn't seen another living person.  
"You're welcome to join us..."  
"You sure? You don't even know me."  
Glenn smiled, "You don't look like crazy psychopath. And it isn't safe for a chick to wander alone."

Riley glanced out the glass door and saw a one or two walkers roaming near the shop and pushed a large display case in front of the door to keep it closed.

Twisting her long brown hair into a messy bun atop her head, Riley looked at the boy who was grabbing a lantern.  
"You gotta name?"  
He looked up and seemed surprised she was still there, "Wha- um, yeah. Glenn. I'm Glenn."  
Walking over, Riley held out her hand, "Nice to meet you Glenn. I'm Riley."

"Sorry 'bout that." She pointed to the large dusty shoeprint in the middle of his shirt.  
"It's cool. Where'd you learn how to do that kick thing, anyway?"  
Riley grabbed her pack with a shrug, "nowhere important."

Riley watched as Glenn tried to stuff all his stuff into his pack, with little success. "Do you need help? You can put some stuff into my pack for now. Promise I won't steal it."

"Oh... uh, thanks." Putting what we could into her pack, Glenn and Riley moved toward the back of the store.  
"I'll go out first, you cover my back, okay?" Glenn nodded, and waited for Riley to open the door to the side alley.

Slowly opening the door Riley took quick glances in both directions. Once she was convinced there weren't any walkers nearby, Riley silently walked out, knife drawn.

Motioning to Glenn that the coast was relatively clear, Riley crouched down at the opening of the alley. Hearing the asian stop behind her, Riley turned towards him and spoke in a whisper, "Stay here. I'm going out to the street to see if there's a way to get out of here. I won't go far. Just _stay here._"  
Glenn wiped a hand across his forehead, "Just promise you'll come back."  
"Promise."

Removing the heavy backpack, Riley edged onto the street, vanishing from Glenn's sight.

Taking a few cautious steps away from the sidewalk, Riley took in her surroundings. Numerous cars were abandoned on the street, suitcases and other personal effects littered every square inch of road.

There were no walkers. Thankfully.  
Deciding she should head back, Riley began walking back to where she left Glenn.

She was just two buildings away, when a gunshot rang out.

Unsheathing her knife, Riley ran towards Glenn.  
Arriving at the opening of the alley, Riley saw Glenn holding his leg and three mean looking men at the opposite end.

"Glenn! You okay?"  
"I'm fine. They wanted our stuff... they shot me." Blood was seeping past his fingers and soaking his pant leg.  
Removing her threadbare sweater, Riley tossed it to Glenn, telling him to tie it above his wound.  
Her black tank top was sticking to her back, thanks to the sweat.

Riley looked past glenn to the thugs. The one holding the gun, was obviously the ringleader, the guy on his right was holding a bent metal baseball bat, and the man on the left was holding a long hefty looking pipe.

"What the _fuck _are you doing? That gunshot will attract walkers."  
The leader only sneered. "lookie here fellas... we got ourselves a purdy piece of ass."  
"Just walk away."  
The man in front walked closer, "whatcha got in your pack, hmm?"  
Riley held her knife in a defensive position, "nothing." She handed her handgun to Glenn, "if you see any walkers, shoot."

"Open the pack, bitch, and dump e'rething on the ground. Then ya can come with us an' have us a good time."  
"Can't do that."

With a smirk, the asshole came charging toward Riley while the other two stayed back.  
Lighting quick, Riley raised her knife in an arch, and removed the left hand of the leader. Falling to the ground, the man cradled his arm to his chest while weeping.

The two lackeys looked at each other and ran.

Leaving the handless criminal where he fell, Riley wiped her blade clean on her jeans.  
"Glenn, how're you feeling?" She readjusted the improv tourniquet on Glenn's leg.  
"Little lightheaded..." He let his eyes close for a moment.  
"Can you walk?"  
Glenn shook his head, "I don't think so."  
"Okay. I'll need you to hold onto the packs. I'll carry you."

Lifting him to his feet, Riley draped Glenn over her shoulders, carrying him in a fireman's carry.  
"I'll take you to my car."

Hurring out of the alley, Riley ran in the direction of her car.  
"Glenn, buddy... there's a single walker up ahead. Think you can shoot this bastard?"  
"Yeah."

Thankfully, the walker went down easily.

Making it to her car, Riley gently placed Glenn in the passenger's seat.  
Getting into the driver's seat, Riley reached under the dashboard and pushed the necessary wires together, making the car jump to life.

"Camp is thirty minutes north."


	2. Chapter 2

Glenn had led Riley in the direction of an old quarry.  
Parking the car directly outside the campsite, several members of the group had walked up to the stranger, weapons drawn.  
"You lost?" A man with a large rifle asked, his southern drawl making his words thick.  
Riley ignored the man, she opened Glenn's door and helped him out. Swinging his arm around her shoulders, Riley was careful not to let him put too much pressure on his wound.

"Shit." A woman with long blonde hair swore. "He bit?" The man with the rifle aimed it at the two of us.  
Riley shook her head, "No. Some douchbag shot him."  
Suddenly more people came to where the commotion was.  
An older man with a hat came up on the other side of Glenn and helped support him.  
"I need to get the bullet out and stitch him up."  
The man wearing the hat nodded, "we can go into my RV. I'm Dale."  
Riley nodded once, "Riley."

Laying Glenn down on the bed in the back of the RV.  
"I need my pack, in the back of my car."  
Another blonde girl, no more than 25 by the looks of it, rushed out of the RV yelling she'd get the pack.  
Riley turned toward a beautiful black woman standing near the bed, "You." The woman looked to Riley, "Jackie."  
"Jackie, I need you to get me a bowl... and some towels."

When the young blonde returned, Riley was quick to unzip the pack and grab a folded black pouch.  
Opening the black nylon bag, Glenn was shocked to find shining medical equipment.  
"Okay, Glenn, I need you to drink these. It's morphine. It'll help take the pain away."  
Handing two clear vials of liquid to Glenn, Riley untied the tourniquet on his leg and ripped the leg of Glenn's jeans.  
With a shaky hand, Glenn downed both vials and made a face at the taste. Riley took a pair of curved hemostats, and dug the tips into the wound.

Glenn jerked from the sharp pain.

"You, tough guy," Riley pointed to the man who had pointed the rifle at her, "I need you to hold him down."  
Setting the gun on the table, the man put his hands on Glenn's shoulders. "My name's Shane. Not tough guy."

Finding the slug, Riley carefully clamped down on it, and pulled it out, causing more blood to begin flowing.  
"How ya doing, buddy?" Riley put the hemostat and the bullet into the bowel.  
"Good."

Riley then took a curved needle and some black thread and began closing the wound.  
Wrapping a thick layer of gauze around the stitches, Riley tightly tied the gauze together.

"Where'd you learn how to suture someone up?" Dale asked, wiping his hands on a towel.  
"I was a marine..."

Once everything was cleaned up, and Glenn was resting in the RV, Riley took a moment to get a better look at where she was.

There were trees providing shade, and numerous tents were scattered around the campsite.

"So you were in the core?"  
Riley turned and saw Dale behind her. Stuffing her hands into her pants pockets, she nodded, "Yeah. I was a sergeant in another life."  
Dale gave a small smile, "I was in the Navy myself."  
"Ah, you were a _semen._"  
Dale chuckled, "How old are you? You look too young to be a sergeant."  
"My father was in the core, he pushed my brother and I into the service. We joined ROTC in high school."

The crunching of gravel under boots broke the silence. "You mind tellin us what exactly happened out there?"  
Shane and several others were curious to know what went down in the city.  
"Glenn and I ran into each other while getting supplies. When we went to leave, I went on ahead to make sure there weren't any walkers around. Glenn got shot by three men who wanted to take the stuff."  
Shane moved his weight to his right foot, "So what, they see you coming, and walk away."  
"Basically."

Setting his jaw, Shane gave a huff and left. "Sorry 'bout him. He can be a little intense sometimes." The blonde who got Riley's pack for her said. "I'm Amy. I'll introduce you to the group. You already know Dale, Glenn, and Jackie." Amy led Riley through the entire camp and made introductions, telling Riley who was related to who.

"That's pretty much everyone..."  
"Who's tents are those?" Riley gestured towards two tents away from everyone else's.  
Amy gave a sour look, "Oh. Those are the Dixion's. You don't really want to have to deal with them."  
"Ya talking 'bout me, sweet cheeks?" A gruff voice said from the tree line.  
A rough looking man was leaning against a tree, a lit cigarette was dangling between his lips, and his eyes were trained on the two women.

"Merle... I didn't mean... I'm sorry..." Amy stumbled over her words as the redneck sauntered closer.  
"Ya'll better watch ya'selves." He cracked his knuckles threateningly.  
Amy's eyes grew to the size of tennis balls, "I, uh... sorry."  
Riley raised an eyebrow, "she said she was sorry, leave it alone."  
The brute looked at Riley, sizing her up. "Riley..."

"Ya talkin ta me?"  
Crossing her arms over her chest, Riley snorted. "I don't see anyone else who's seen 'Taxi Driver' one too many times, yeah I'm talking to you. Trust me, let it go."

Watching Merle turn and walk away, Riley looked at Amy. "You okay?"  
Amy nodded, and pointed behind Riley, "He's coming back."  
Riley turned her attention back to Merle and she could instantly tell he was looking for a fight. "Oh great."

Merle swung a meaty right hook, hoping to connect with Riley's cheek. Ducking out of the way, Riley was quick to give a sharp jab to his ribs, and held his arm in a firm hold. "We can end this right now, no harm, no foul."  
Head-butting Riley, Merle rotated his shoulder and spat near Riley's feet. Grabbing Merle's arm and holding it behind his back, Riley pushed him into the trunk of a thick tree. Merle stomped on Riley's foot, making her release his arm.  
Before Merle had a chance to move, Riley brought her foot up and delivered a swift kick in his groin. As Merle doubled over in pain, Riley punched the redneck in the nose. The force of the blow made Merle fall onto his back.

"That's enough."

Merle picked himself and walked into the woods with his wounded pride.

Riley turned to see one of the women, Lori, glaring at her.  
"There are _children _here." The brunette basically spat.  
Amy raised her hands in defense of Riley, "She wasn't looking for a fight..."  
Lori gave the newcomer a doubtful look and left, muttering about another hot-head in camp.

"Thanks, by the way. That was awesome. Could you... teach me, maybe?"  
Riley chuckled as the two of them walked away from the Dixion's campsite, "Maybe. I can teach you some basic moves."


	3. Chapter 3

**I just wanted to thank everyone who bothered to read this story!**

**And give a special thank you to my first reviewer, Leyshla Gisel!**

* * *

"And then, she just cuts his hand off. Just like that."

Glenn was telling the camp the story of how he met Riley. After he had rested for a few hours, Glenn had wanted some fresh air. He was currently sitting in a lawn chair, his leg stretched out on a log.

Almost everyone was sitting in chairs or on logs around a small fire. Night had fallen, and the group had huddled close together, secretly worried of what might be lurking in the dark.  
It was an unspoken agreement that Riley was now a part of the group.

Dinner was passed around, a stew consisting of a few carrot slices, baby mushrooms, a can of kidney beans, and chunks of stringy looking meat. Riley had been informed that she had Daryl to thank for the meat, which was squirrel.

"... then she just throws me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Riley glanced at everyone around the fire. Many had small smiles on their faces, but none reached their eyes.  
She turned her attention to the two Dixion brothers. They had made a fire, roasting several fat squirrels on a stick. She could make out Merle puffing smoke from a cigarette, and his brother, Daryl, was lounging against a fallen log. She wondered if he was as much of a dick as Merle.

"So, where're you from? You don't sound like you're from here."  
Snapping out of her thoughts, Riley looked at Jim. "I'm from California."  
"You're a long way from home." The camp became quiet, interested in why the tough woman ended up all the way across the country.

"I was over seas, in Pakistan. I was coming home from three tours in the Middle East... and than the world went to shit."

Andrea leaned in closer, "What was it like? Being... over there, I mean." Her voice was quiet, as if the words themselves were heavy on her tongue.  
"It's hell." Lori shot Riley a look at her word choice.  
"It's like a war movie. You see everything from cowardice to heroism... just people killing people... there's no way you can be ready for it. It just is what it is." She could picture being back in the battle zone. Blood and bodies everywhere. She lowered her gaze and held her arms over her chest.

A silence fell over the group as everyone digested her words.

Lori was the first to get up, saying it was time for her and Carl to go to bed. Soon, more followed, leaving Dale, Riley, Jackie, and T-dog alone at the fire. Shane climbed on top of the camper, taking the first watch.  
"Do you need a place to sleep tonight? You could maybe squish in the RV with us." Jackie offered.  
Shaking her head, Riley stood and stretched, "Thanks, but I've got a tent in the car."

Finding a nice spot free of any rocks, she got to work setting up her tent. It was small, maybe two people could sleep comfortably in it, but it was a good size for just her. Once she was finished setting it up, Riley grabbed her two bags of belongings, and unzipped the mesh door. Dropping both packs onto the floor of the tent, she could see someone watching her in her peripheries. Straightening, Riley turned her full attention to the observer.

It was Daryl.

He was still sitting on the log, watching her. Merle wasn't with him anymore, probably in his tent licking his wounds.  
Riley made a mock salute in hello, and crawled into bed.

* * *

Waking from her sleep, Riley got up and got dressed into a pair of cargo pants, a green t shirt, and her boots. Making sure her knife was in it's sheath on her belt, Riley cracked her knuckles and unzipped the mesh door. Stepping out into the morning sun, she was temporarily blinded.  
Dale was helping Carol pour water into a large pot over the fire, he smiled when he saw her walk up to them. "Mornin."  
"Morning. Can I help?"  
Dale shook his head, "We're good here. Maybe Lori could use some help. She's down by the water."

Riley found the small body of water easy enough. Lori, Carol, and Jackie were all busy doing laundry by the waterline. Riley felt silly. She wasn't some housewife, she didn't do anyone else's laundry.  
With a sigh, Riley walked over. "You need any help?"

Lori glanced at the woman, "Not with this... but could you help Amy. She's gonna go look for some mushrooms."

Turning and walking back to camp, Riley found the younger blonde stepping out of the RV, a bucket in hand.  
"Mind if I join you with the mushrooms? I need to be doing something."  
Amy smiled, "Sure! Lemmie get you a bag."

Once the two were ready, they left the safety of camp, and went into the woods.  
"We found a nice patch of mushrooms a few days ago, it's not too far."  
The two of them walked in a comfortable silence until they found the mushrooms. They busied themselves with the work.  
The only noises were the sounds of plants being up-rooted, and birds singing high in the trees.

While picking the fungi, Riley noticed some other useful plants growing nearby. Riley filled her bag with mullein, nettle, and horsetail.  
"What is that?"  
Riley showed Amy the different plants she had picked up. "These plants all have some great benefits," she held up a fuzzy leaf of mullein. "This is mullein. It's a good substitute for toilet paper, and you can make it into tea." She grabbed the nettle next, "this is nettle. This helps with infections." Then she held the horsetail plant, "and this is called horsetail. This also helps with wounds."

Amy ran her fingers over the soft leaves of the mullein plant, "how do you remember all this stuff? I'd be worried I'd mix up two plants and end up poisoning myself."

Riley gave a small laugh, "You get used to it. When it's a choice between wiping your ass with mullein or a pinecone, you tend to remember which plant is which."

They stood, ready to return to camp, when suddenly it became deathly quiet. The birds had stopped chirping, which only ment something had spooked them.

Grabbing Amy by her elbow, Riley put a finger to her lips, motioning to the girl to stay quiet.

Riley handed Amy the bag full of plants, and unsheathed her knife.  
She heard a twig snap to her left, and swiftly angled herself toward the noise. She could hear Amy breathing hard out of fear.

Telling Amy to stay exactly where she was, Riley moved silently to where the noise was heard.  
Fulling expecting to find a hungry walker, Riley was ready to do what she must.

Bursting through the thick bushes with her kukri knife held high, Riley was surprised to find a crossbow in her face.  
"_Jesus! _I thought you were a walker!" Riley lowered her knife.  
"What tha hell do ya think you're doin? Fuckin woman." He dropped his crossbow so it was aimed at the ground.

Turning from the hunter, Riley scoffed, "Fucking rednecks."  
"Everything okay?" Amy was shaking and was gripping the bucket handle so tightly her knuckles were white.  
"Yeah. Everything's good. Just an idiot with a crossbow. C'mon, let's get back to camp."

As they walked, Riley took a quick glance behind her and caught a glimpse of Daryl before he disappeared behind the trees.


	4. Chapter 4

The Georgian heat was taking its toll on Riley. The small outdoor thermometer on the RV was showing the temperature at eighty-six degrees, but it felt more like one hundred due to the mugginess.

Riley used her shirt to wipe away the sweat from her forehead as she peeled the potatoes for that nights dinner.  
She was sitting at the picnic table with Jacqui and Lori's kid, Carl.  
Though she was accustomed to the sweltering heat of the middle east, she wasn't use to the heavy humidity of the south.  
Looking at Jacqui who didn't seem bothered by the heat, Riley shrugged, she had probably gotten so used to the humidity that she didn't even notice it anymore.

"You okay?" Jacqui had noticed Riley's wondering eyes.  
"Just the humidity getting to me. Wondering how the hell you don't even looked phased by it." Riley emphasized her point by taking the collar of her t-shirt and blowing down her shirt.  
"Weren't you in Iraq? Isn't it hot over there?"  
"It's hot as hell over there, but it's dry heat. None of this stuffiness shit." Jacqui's eyes widened and motioned to Carl, who only laughed at the vulgar word. He had taken a liking to the soldier, to the abhorrence of his mother.  
Jacqui chuckled, "you can always take a dip in the pond. Though, you may have a couple people watchin." Jacqui made a point of nodding her head towards Ed, who, instead of helping around camp, was busy smoking.  
Riley hummed in response, and finished with the potatoes. She was dressed in a pair of knee length cut off shorts, a thin cotton shirt, and a baseball cap, and yet she was still sweating heavily.  
Carl took the moment to speak up, "Riley? Um.. what's your tattoo of?"  
"Which one, buddy?" Carl pointed to the tattoo on her left shoulder.

Riley looked at the ink on her left bicep. It was a tattoo of the word _Aéquitas _with the phrase '_...for thee my lord, for thee.' _written underneath it.  
"This one? It's from my brother and my favorite movie, 'Boondock Saints'. He has the matching tattoo on his bicep."  
The young boy smiled, "That's so cool. Can I see more? Please?" Riley laughed at his excitement, "Sure."

_**...**_

It was a few hours till sunset when Riley walked to her tent and grabbed a pair of ripped jeans, a clean shirt, and a change of underwear. She also made sure she had a bar of soap, and her trusty knife with her.  
She walked down to the body of water, taking notice of Lori, Carol, and Morales' wife, Miranda doing laundry in the shallows. They always seemed to be doing that damned laundry.

She found a spot that was semi-secluded from any peeping toms nearby and was quick to remove her sweaty clothes.  
Leaving her underwear on, Riley went into the water and was surprised to find the water was warm. She waded into the water till it covered her breasts and began rubbing the soap over her dirt crusted body. She bit her lip as she washed her back, the soap biting into old wounds. Many had healed, but she could still feel several bruises scattering her back.  
Riley gingerly traced some of the scars on her right shoulder. Though she couldn't see them, she could imagine the angry pink marks marring her skin.  
The bite of her fingernails digging into her palm snapped her out of the fog of the past. She held the dogtags that had her information engraved on the metal. She wasn't sure what she was doing. The world was overrun with the living dead, and she was busy crying about the past.

Riley quickly dunked her head under the water to rid herself of her thoughts, and proceeded to scrub her chestnut hair with the soap. It was nowhere near as good as having shampoo, but it would have to work.  
Feeling cleaner then before, Riley rung her hair out, and plaited it into a braid. She slowly made her way to shore. Changing into the clean pair of boyshort underwear and clasping the bra behind her back with some pain, Riley heard footsteps approaching.  
Shane emerged from the bend as Riley was buttoning her pants. Riley slipped on her boots and tied them.

"Hey there."  
He walked close to her. He didn't even try to be subtle as his eyes drank in her shirtless form.  
Riley crossed her arms over her chest to provide a little extra coverage. She noticed he was standing between her and her clothes.  
And more importantly, he was between her and her knife.

Riley immediately realized her mistake. She should never have come here alone.

"Do you always watch women bathing, or am I just lucky?" She wishes she could sound more forceful in the moment, but he caught her off guard.  
Shane lifted his hands in a sign of surrender, "there's no need to be so harsh." He moved closer toward her in a slow, stride. He looked like a predator going in for the kill. "We're all friends here. And since everyone's busy 'round camp, we got some quality time to get to know each other."  
Riley felt the spark of anger light deep in her belly.

"You mean like how you spend _quality time _with Lori in the woods?"  
Riley had seen the two of them sneaking off together. They weren't even trying to hide it.  
Shane gave a grin and stepped closer, "she's like dinner, but you're the dessert."  
Riley was scanning her options, but she realizes that in such close proximity, there was nothing she could use as a weapon. Her options were limited.

He was dangerously close now. "Sometime's I like to have my dessert before dinner. How 'bout it, girly?" He grins, as if she was actually considering his sick proposition. "Whaddaya say we have some fun? Ya gotta learn to enjoy life."  
He placed a hand on her arm.

The second he steps in range, Riley acts quickly to hit him, to inflict any kind of pain that would distract him long enough for her to escape into the trees. She delivered a sharp punch to his cheek.  
Riley had never ben a screamer. The way she always saw it, screaming was a show of weakness. A sign of defeat.  
And though she had years of training in defending herself from enemies, Shane had just enough experience under his belt, too.

Shane was quick to regain his balance with a hateful look in his eye. A bruise was already forming where the blow landed.  
"Ya gonna regret that."  
Before he could make a move, Riley brought her knee up in a swift motion, catching him in the gut, and swept his legs out from underneath him.  
She placed a boot on his chest and watched as he wheezed, "You touch me again, you won't get your hand back, you understand me?"

She grabbed her shirt and knife, and disappeared into the trees.

Pulling the top over her head, Riley attached the knife's sheath to her belt. She would be damned if she'd get caught without it again.  
As the adrenaline slowly faded, Riley became aware of the throbbing in her knuckles. They were sore, and the skin over three of her knuckles had broken, letting blood freely ooze down her fingers.

With a tisk, Riley pressed the hem of her shirt to try and slow the bleeding.

"The hell ya doin out here?"

Riley turned quickly, hand on the handle of the knife, when she saw Daryl lowering his crossbow and bitting his thumb.  
"Jesus, do you live out here?" She didn't even hear him approach and that slightly worried her.  
He walked up to her, taking notice of her busted knuckles. "Get inna fight with the laundry?" His words were mocking, but his tone was serious.  
"Funny. No, I actually punched that asshole Shane." Though she hated to admit it, he was rather cute. She had always had a thing for guys with nice, muscular arms.  
The corners of Daryl's mouth rose, "bout time someone did."

"Lemmie see. I think I have somein' to bind em for ya." He dug his hands in his pockets as she held out her hand. Finding a small roll of gauze, Daryl gently held her injured hand in his larger one. Riley could feel the numerous callouses on his palms and wondered what he used to do to gain so many. Maybe he was some type of manual laborer. "Why're you helping me? We didn't exactly end on the best note the other day." She didn't mean for her words to sound so skeptical, but she knew well enough that looks can be deceiving.  
"Figured anyone who could beat up Merle like tha ain't bad in my book."  
Riley gave a small snort of laughter in response.  
As Daryl wrapped her knuckles in bandages, Riley noticed the string of dead squirrels hanging from his belt. "Coming back from huntin?"  
"Yep." He tied the bandages off and pulled his hand away.

"Thanks." Riley flexed her hand a couple times to loosen the bindings.  
"Don' mention it." Side stepping her, Daryl readjusted the crossbow slug against his shoulder, and headed deeper into the woods.


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a quick note, this story was influenced by the amazing story "Speaking to the Dead" by Nymphchild. Her Walking Dead story is so freaking good! Go read it, you will not be disappointed.**

* * *

"Ya hear me, dumbass?"

Daryl blinked several times as he turned his attention to his brother. "Wha?"  
Merle rolled his eyes with a scowl, "Helloooo? Anyone home?" He knocked his knuckles roughly against Daryls skull, "I _said_ I was headin to bed. Whatchu so taken wit?"  
"Nothin." His response sounded too quick to his own ears, "Imma stay out here a bit longer."  
He waited until Merle disappeared completely into his tent before returning his gaze to the object of his current interest.

Night had quickly become Daryl's favorite time of day.

Every night after dinner, he would silently watch as the new girl, Riley, would crawl in her tent, and watch her ready for bed. Her tent was near the campfire, making shadows of her dance along the outside of her tent. He would drink in the dark silhouette of her undressing in secret.

Daryl would never admit this, but he liked where the soldier had set up her small tent.

It wasn't something he was proud of; only perverts watched girls changing from the bushes, but that didn't mean he was going to stop anytime soon.

Sometimes she would do a few crunches, followed by several pushups; other times she would kneel, as if she were praying. He had noticed that she never immediately went to sleep. She often would stay sitting in her sleeping bag, her knees drawn up to her chin.

The thing she did that he could never get enough of, was how after she had stripped out of her pants and shirt each night, she would stretch in a way that made the tough outdoors-man feel his pulse quicken to a fast tempo in his chest. He enjoyed watching her lift her long arms over her head, the way she would lean her head back while pushing her chest forward to crack her back, or how she rotated her head from side to side with such slowness.  
He sometimes wondered if she knew he was observing her, with how she went about loosening her muscles like that.

He had seen naked women before, Merle had gotten him his first porno mag when he was fifteen, but he had never seen anything that made him feel like he dry swallowed a bucket of nails.

Daryl had once thought if she ever would've given him a second look, before the world went to hell in a hand basket, but he shook that thought away, saying he didn't care what the damn chick thought of him.  
Now was not the time to get distracted by some hot piece of ass.

The sound of light footsteps brought Daryl out of his brooding. He looked out of the corner of his eye as the marine walked to her tent. She turned her head, looking at Daryl.  
"Don't you sleep?"  
He shrugged his shoulders, acting as if he was busy cleaning his arrows, "ain't tired."  
She smiled at his brief reply before saying goodnight and entering her temporary home.

The fire was brighter than usual, making the shadows of Riley a bit clearer.

Daryl gazed at her form for a few minutes until she slid into her sleeping bag and fell asleep.

* * *

The dawn sun shone through Riley's tent, waking her from her restless slumber.  
Dressing quickly, she stepped out into the cool morning air and waved to Dale, who was outside the RV, pouring steaming water into a mug.  
"Mornin." He smiled at her, sipping his drink.  
"Hey. Everyone else still sleeping?" Riley opened a pack of beef jerky that was sitting on the wooden picnic table and took three long strips for breakfast.  
"Yeah. Just the three of us are early risers."  
Riley raised an eyebrow as she glanced around camp, "three of us?"  
"Daryl left to hunt a few minutes ago."  
Nodding her head, Riley chewed her food. "Need me to do anything?"  
Dale shook his head, "not at the moment, no, but you can keep an old man company."  
"Sure."

The two of them sat atop the RV and talked while keeping a sharp watch for trouble.  
She learned that his wife had passed a few years ago from cancer, and he was originally from Missouri.

More members of the group began to emerge from their tents and search for breakfast.  
Shane walked past the RV and looked up to the two of them, Riley made a point to give him a hard stare and place her hand on the handle of her knife.

"So you had said earlier that you had a brother."  
Riley shifted her eyes back to Dale, "Yeah. He's three years younger."  
"Do you know if he's..." "If he's alive?" Riley finished for him, "I don't know. He was stateside when this all happened." She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.  
"Was he a marine too?"  
Riley gave a grin and shook her head, "no. He was an Army medic. He did that just to piss off our dad."  
Dale dropped the conversation, letting the sounds of everyone mill around camp fill the silence.

Noticing the asian was up, Riley climbed down the ladder, and made her way toward Glenn.  
"How's the leg?" Glenn looked up from his bag and smiled, "it's good, little sore, but I can walk."  
"I have something that'll help, meet me in the RV." Riley gave him a pat on the back as walked toward her tent.  
She grabbed a few leaves that would help Glenn with the pain and some antibiotics.

Stepping back out into the sun, she bumped into an angry Merle. He wore a mean scowl and had both hands curled into fists. "Watch where ya walkin." He shoved her with his shoulder.  
"Nice black eye, Merle."  
He swung around and stalked up to her, "ya been askin for a beatin, bitch."  
Riley was in no mood to fight him today.  
"Whatever you say. Mind stepping off now? Unlike you, I have stuff to do." She used the palm of her hand to push him back a few feet. She could hear him curse at her but she continued to walk toward the RV without a glance back.

Once inside, she saw Glenn sitting at the miniature table. Taking a seat opposite Glenn, Riley places the plant leaves on the faux wood. "Okay, you know the drill, pants off."  
Glenn turned a bright shade of red, "w-what? Take off my... my pants?"  
Riley rolled her eyes at his embarrassment, "don't get modest now."  
Glenn stood and undid the button of his jeans with shaky hands, "just don't laugh, okay?"  
With a raised eyebrow, Riley looked at Glenn, "what are you talking about?" Glenn looked sheepish, "the whole stereotype that all asians have a small... ya know..."  
Riley laughed hard. "_what_?" Glenn turned even redder than he already was. "shut up, will you? It's not something I like to broadcast!" Riley took a few deep breaths, she hadn't laughed like that in a long time... and it felt good. "I promise I won't look, or laugh." She held up three fingers in the boy scout salute.

Once his pants were gone, Riley crushed the leaves in her hand, and gently placed them on his healing wound.  
"Looks good. It's healing nicely." She gingerly poked and prodded the skin around the scar, seeing if anything felt off. There was a fading bruise around the middle of his gash, but he didn't react with too much pain when she poked it.  
When she was done, she wrapped a few layers of gauze around his leg.  
"You're good to go."

The two of them walked out of the RV as Shane was about to walk in. "Glenn, good." Shane eyed Riley for a second before continuing, "we're running low on supplies. We're gonna put together a little scavenger party to go into the city an' get more food."  
Glenn shook his head, "no. I'm much better on my own."  
"Really now? How'd that workout last time you went alone?" Shane looked down at Glenn's leg before giving a disbelieving look.  
"Fine. But nothing too big, alright?"  
Shane gave the twenty-two year old a pat on the back, "you can decide on the group yerself. You'll leave tomorrow."


	6. Chapter 6

Riley didn't like this.

She was currently sitting at the picnic table in the early morning light, watching people gather a few guns and other weapons for the trip into Atlanta. The group consisted of T-dog, Andrea, Jacqui, Morales, Glenn, and surprisingly, Merle had volunteered to go.

The only reason she wasn't joining, was because the camp needed people who could handle a gun incase a walker showed up.

"You're an idiot for going back out there."  
Glenn looked up from the baseball bat he had picked up, "yeah, well... I'll have some back-up at least."  
"Take these." She handed him both her guns equipped with the silencers, "they'll be quiet, and good in a pinch." "Thanks." He took the guns and shoved them into the waistband of his jeans.  
"Keep your eyes open. And don't do anything stupid."

She gave him a light punch to his shoulder and walked away

_**...**_

Riley had told Dale that she was going to go look for more herbs and plants they could use.

She walked deep into the woods, deeper than necessary.

She wasn't planning on looking for herbs or plants... she just needed some time to herself for a minute or two, the constant drama was wearing on her nerves.  
Sitting against a thick tree trunk, Riley listened to the wind rustling through the tree tops and birds singing.

She thought of her brother, wondering if he was okay.  
He was always good during chaos.. he kept a level head no matter what was happening.  
It had been two years since she had last seen him. Riley recalled when she got her deployment orders, it was tradition for her family to have a farewell dinner out on her father's patio.  
She remembered dinner that night had consisted of ham, potatoes, sweet corn, and icy cold beers.

The thought alone made her mouth water.

Riley sat for a while before the flapping of wings made her snap to attention.  
The birds had gotten spooked by something.  
Riley listened for anything that was out of the ordinary.

A twig snapped to her left and her head locked in the direction the noise came from.

She stood, careful not to make a sound, and unsheathed her knife.  
The brush rustled loudly, and Daryl walked out.

"Thought I saw ya wanderin out here."  
Riley lowered her knife, "I thought you were a damn walker. What are you doing sneaking around anyway?"  
"Saw a fat lookin deer while I was out yesterday. Wondered if ya wanna join, Imma need help haulin him back ta camp."

"Sure."

_**...**_

The two of them had tracked the deer in silence for miles before finding it in a small meadow.  
It had taken them two days before they caught up with their mark. When the sun had started to set on the first day, the two of them had climbed trees and slept amongst the leaves.

The buck was currently eating grass in the meadow, not knowing the two hunters hiding behind a fallen log.  
Holding his ever present crossbow at the ready, Daryl lined it up with the side of the deer and released a bolt.

The arrow missed the heart, and instead sunk into the shoulder. The animal darted away, with Daryl and Riley swiftly following.  
"C'mon. If we lead it back ta camp we won't have to carry the som'bitch."  
"Smart."

When they were close to camp, Daryl had added two more arrows to the animal's body.  
They watched as it awkwardly stumbled through the brush.  
"Took the damn thing long enough." Daryl muttered to himself as he picked himself up from the crouched position.  
Riley stood up, and felt sudden light headedness. She swayed slightly.  
"Ya good?" A hand held her steady as she righted herself. "Yeah. Just stood up too fast."

They walked along the trail the deer had left before Riley grabbed Daryl by his bicep. "Wait. Did you hear that?"  
"Hear wha-" A low growling sounded before Daryl could finish his sentence. "Damn."  
Daryl brought up his crossbow, and Riley held up her knife in a defensive position.  
"How many do you think there are?"  
"Donno... three maybe?" Daryl moved so he was back to back with Riley.

Four walkers came out from behind the trees, arms reaching out for a hopeful meal.  
The flesh was a sickly gray color and their eyes were glazed over in a milky sheen.

"Don't got enough bolts to take all of 'em out. Think ya can handle one or two on ya own, girlie?"  
Riley scoffed in fake annoyance. "Oh please, I bet I could take them out with my bare hands, redneck."

Daryl shot an arrow into the eye socket of one walker, making it fall to the ground in a messy heap.  
Wielding her knife with the skill of a professional knife fighter, Riley sunk the blade to the hilt into the head of an undead woman. She pulled at the handle but it wouldn't budge.  
There were two walkers left, Daryl was busy with the walker close to him, and the other was headed straight for her. Leaving her knife in the walker's skull, Riley tackled the walker to the ground and straddled it's rotting body. The walker was missing both it's arms and was wearing a floral print blouse with lots of pink flowers and leaves. Riley wanted to take a weed whacker to it.  
She pushed her thumbs into both its eye sockets and used her upper body strength to push her fingers into the brain. The walker gurgled and wheezed while it tried to sink it's teeth into her arm, but Riley pushed harder.

Hearing a sickening crack of bone snapping, Riley pulled herself off the now dead walker.  
She wiped her bloody hands on her pants, staining the denim. She turned to Daryl, who was now removing his arrows from the heads of the fallen walkers.

A sudden wave of dizziness rippled up her spine. The world began to slide away, down a long dark tunnel, leaving her behind. She dropped to a knee. Her vision was in doubles, and she could hear her pulse thumping loudly in her ears.

_Not again, God damn it... Not now. _

With a teeth-grinding effort, she kept her hold on consciousness.  
Eyes shut. Jaws clenched. Breath labored.

A pair of hands grasped her shoulders, and she blindly swung a fist out.  
One of the hands caught hers in a tight grip.

"Damn girl. The hell's wrong with ya?"

The voice cut through the fog and snapped her out of her episode.

She opened her eyes and met Daryl's blue eyes.  
Riley opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. What would she say?  
_"Oh, don't mind me. I just had a PTSD episode, but I'm fine now, please carry on."_

"I'm fine." She lurched her hand out of his hold and rose from the ground. Her legs were week, but she could stand.  
"Don't look fine."  
Riley looked at the hunter. He biting his thumb and was standing close by, incase she would fall again.  
"I'm just a little dehydrated. Nothing to worry about."  
He started at her before shrugging. "Whatever." He handed Riley her knife, cleaned from the walker blood, before walking past her.  
"I told you I could kill one with my bare hands."  
Daryl stopped and turned towards the girl, a small half smile on his face, "guess ya ain't as useless as I thought." Riley gave a chuckle, "ass."

The pair fell into silence as they resumed following the buck.


	7. Chapter 7

They were close to camp when they heard screaming in the distance.  
Breaking through the brush, the two hunters came face to face with numerous weapons.  
"Oh thank god." Glenn sighed, lowering the bloody pipe he used as a bat, "we thought you'd be another walker."  
"Good to see you're alive." Riley said to the asian.  
"You have no idea."

Daryl caught sight of his buck on the grass, nearly half of its neck missing, and a headless walker lying next to it.  
"Sonova bitch. That's my deer."

Riley saw how his lips pushed together to form a deep frown.  
"Look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy, disease bearing... motherless, proxy bastard." The others in the group stepped back as Daryl began kicking the dead walker.

Riley had stayed quiet during the exchange. She had noticed the stranger, taking note of the rake in his hands.  
A hand, crusted with dry walker blood, instinctually went to the handle of her knife.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale rested his hatchet against his shoulder and wiped his sweaty forehead.  
"What do ya know 'bout it old man?" Daryl got into Dale's face, "Why dontcha take off that hat an go back ta high golden pond?"

He turned back to the dead buck and sighed, "Been trackin this deer for miles..." He began pulling his arrows out of the animal, "was gonna drag it back ta camp, cook us up some venison. Whaddya think? Could we cut around this chewed part right here?"  
"I would not risk that." Shane responded.

"That's a damn shame. We got some squirrel, bout a dozen or so. That'll have ta do." Daryl caught Riley's eye for a moment before the disconnected head of the walker began snapping its teeth and wheezing.

"Oh God." Amy's face got pale as Andrea led her sister away.  
"C'mon people, what the hell?" He loaded his crossbow and shot the walker through the eye, "it's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin?" Daryl began to walk away, jerking his head toward his shared tent. "C'mon, girlie. Ya can help me skin 'em."  
Riley started to follow, when the stranger spoke up, "I'm Rick. Rick Grimes." He held out a hand for her to shake.  
"Riley Drexel. Pleasure." She shook his hand. "Sorry about the blood," she added, "we ran into a few walkers in the woods."  
"How many?"  
"Four. We took them out easy enough."  
"I'm told you were a marine. That right?"  
Riley nodded, "Yeah. Another lifetime ago, I was a sergeant." She didn't let him continue asking questions, instead she left to follow Daryl.  
She could feel the stares of the men burning into her back.

"Merle."  
The older Dixion didn't respond. Riley wouldn't be surprised if he was getting high somewhere.  
"Merle! Getcha ass out here. Got us some squirrel, let's stew em up."

Riley noticed how the entire camp had scurried off, silently watching Daryl.  
Sure he was a hard-headed hillbilly, but he wasn't as bad as some of the others in camp.

"Daryl..." Shane placed his rifle into his jeep, "slow up a minute, I need to talk to ya."  
Daryl glanced around noticing his brother wasn't in camp, and stopped walking, "bout what?"  
"Bout Merle. There was a, uh, problem in Atlanta."  
Riley only guessed what had happened, walkers getting to him, he could've run off, killed by scavengers... any number of things were possible.  
"He dead?" Daryl took the string of squirrels from his shoulder and clenched them in his fist.  
"Not sure."  
Riley glared at Shane. Of all the things to say, that definitely wasn't the best.

Daryl clenched his jaw, "He either is or he ain't!"  
The members of the camp had formed a ring around Daryl, watching what would happen.  
Rick walked forward then, "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."  
Sizing him up, Daryl sneered, "Who're you?"  
"Rick Grimes." he answered simply. "Rick Grimes?" Daryl mocked, "Got something ya wanna tell me?"  
"Your brother was a danger to us all... so I handcuffed him to a roof hooked to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Riley brought a hand up to her temple. Things kept going from bad to worse.  
Were these people fucking insane?

"Lemmie process this." Though he tried to hide it, Riley saw him wipe away a rogue tear.  
"Sayin you handcuffed my brother to a roof? An then you left him there?"  
"Yeah."

Nostrils flaring, Daryl flung the line of squirrels at Rick, as Shane tackled Daryl to the ground.  
"Watch the knife!"  
Rick knocked the knife from Daryl's hand, as Shane put him into a chokehold.  
"Best let me go!"  
"Nah, I think it's better if I don't."  
Daryl fell to his knees and his face turned a bright shade of red.

"Chokehold's illegal!"  
Shane didn't let up, "Yeah, well, file a complaint."  
Rick knelt to Daryl, "I'd like to have a calm discussion. Think we can manage that?"  
Daryl only responded with heavy gasps of breath.  
"Think we can manage that?"

It was then that Riley took charge, "Enough. He can't breathe, asshole." She forcefully pulled Shane's arm from around Daryl's neck and gave the deputy a hard shove.  
Shane was about to push past Riley, but she stopped him with her knife, "No. I think you've done enough damage."  
"He's dangerous!" Shane's face was red with unchecked anger.  
"What the _fuck_ did you expect?" Riley nearly yelled, "You tell him you left his brother up on a roof, in a city that's overrun with the god damned _dead _walking around. And you want to calmly talk about it? You're even dumber than you look."

Lori grabbed Shane's arm, keeping him from doing anything stupid.  
"Calm down. We need to all calm down." She sent a warning glance to Riley, telling her to not push the deputies buttons any further.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others."  
"It's not Rick's fault." Everyone's eyes were on T-dog, "I had the key. I dropped it."  
Daryl shook his head, "Couldn't pick it up?"  
"I dropped it down the drain."

Daryl snorted, and went to pick himself up from the dirt.  
Riley held out a hand for him, knowing he was too proud to accept any help.  
It was surprise when the gruff redneck took her hand in his own and pulled himself up.

"If that's supposed ta make me feel better, it don't."  
T-dog explained how he had chained the only door to the roof closed, sealing Merle off from any Geeks.

"Just tell me where he is. So I can go get 'em." His voice was thick with unwanted emotion, Riley knew that feeling very well.  
"He'll show you." Lori said softly, sending a heavy look to her husband, "Won't you, Rick?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Awww yes! New episode of Walking Dead is on right now!**

* * *

"I'm goin back."

Everyone had seemingly calmed down after Rick announced he was going bak for Merle.  
Riley watched as everyone dispersed, returning to whatever chores they still had.

Rick had gone to his tent, Shane following close behind him, Lori disappeared into the RV, and Daryl had gone to blow off some steam by cleaning his crossbow and knives.  
Riley walked over to Daryl, "Need any help?"  
He glanced up at her before handing her a rag a several arrows.

"I don't, okay Rick?" Shane's voice became louder as he and Rick walked into camp, "could ya just.. could ya throw me a bone, here? Man." The two of them walked towards the fire pit, "could ya just tell me why. Why would ya risk your life for a douchbag like Merle Dixon?"  
"Hey." Daryl interrupted, "choose your words more carefully."  
"Oh no, I did. Douchbag's what I meant."

Riley rolled her eyes.  
Leave it to Shane to be an insensitive asshole.

"Merle Dixon. Guy wouldn't give ya a glass of water if ya were dying of thirst."  
"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me._ I_ can't let a man die of thirst. Me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap... that's no way for anythin to die, let alone a human being."

"So you and Daryl?" Lori spoke up, "that's your big plan?"  
Rick turned to Glenn.

"Uhh. Come on."  
"You know the way. You've been there before. In and out, no problem. Ya said so yourself."  
Glenn took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, a frown on his face.  
"It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too," Rick pointed to Lori who gave him a hard look.

"That's great. Now ya gonna risk three men, huh?"

"Four."  
Everyone looked to T-dog.  
Daryl scoffed in response, "my day just gets better an' better, don't it."

"You seein anybody else here steppin up ta save your brother's cracker ass?"  
"Why you?"  
"You wouldn't begin ta understand. You don't speak my language."

"That's four." Dale said behind Rick.  
"Five." Rick said, turning to Riley.  
"Why me?" She crossed her arms and bit at her chapped lips.  
"Because you're trained. We'll need all the help we can get."  
"Sure, whatever." She agreed easily.  
Going back to wiping down her knife, she caught Daryl staring at her in the corner of her eye.  
"What?"  
He shook his head, "nothin."

"It's not just five," Shane bit back, "you're puttin every single one of us at risk. Just know that Rick. C'mon, you saw that walker. It was here, it was _in_ camp. They're movin outta the cities. We need every able body we got, we need 'em here, we ned 'em ta protect it."  
"Seems to me what you really need most, is more guns."  
"Right." Glenn added, catching on to what Rick was hinting at, "the guns."  
"Wait. What guns?"  
"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns... I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. They're just sittin there on the street, waitin to be picked up."  
"Ammo?"  
"Seven hundred rounds, assorted."

Shane took a step back, taking how much they needed those guns into account.

"You went through hell to find us." Lori spoke up, "you just got here, an' now you're gonna turn around and leave?"  
Riley wanted to mention how it was Lori who suggested it was Rick who take Daryl to find Merle, but she held her tongue.

"Dad. I don't want you to go." Carl said with a shaky breath.  
"Shane is right! _Merle Dixon_? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in!" She stood as her husband walked closer, "tell me... make me understand."  
"I owe a debt. To a man I met, and his little boy."

At this point Riley had had enough, she stood, and went behind of the RV to get some peace.  
She could still everything being said, so she didn't miss anything important.  
The coolness of the shade felt good to her warm skin. She rested her shoulders against the RV, getting goosebumps from the surprisingly cool metal.

"Hey."

Riley turned and saw Shane walking over.  
"Ugh. What do _you_ want?"  
"Now look, I know we got off on the wrong foot." "Oh, you mean how you wanted to be fuck buddies?"  
Shane continued, "could ya please try an' convince Rick that Merle ain't worth it?"  
"You know what, Shane, I am tired of everyone here saying Merle is better off on that roof. He may not be the best of company, but no man deserves to die like that." She made to leave, but his hand gripped her bicep hard enough to bruise.  
"Let me go."  
"Listen, I'm onl-"

He was cut off by Riley's fist connecting with his nose.

"I told you the next time you touched me, you'd loose a hand. You're lucky I went easy on you."  
"You broke my goddamned nose."  
Riley grimaced and knelt down to be level with him, "I've seen what men like you are capable of. I know what kind of man you are."  
"The hell ya talking bout?" he was sending her murderous looks as he tried to staunch the flow of blood from his nose.  
"You act like the hero, leader of the group... but I've seen that look your eye, I've seen it in soldiers that just want to kill. Is that what you want, Shane? Is that why you became a cop? So you'd get a gun and shoot the bad guys dead?"  
"Ya best shut the fuck up if you know what's good for ya, bitch."  
He stood and wiped his bloody hands onto his pants.  
"You're just a psycho who wants to play soldier."  
He stood after he managed to stop the blood.  
"Shane?"

Rick appeared before things got worse.

"Everythin' alright here?"  
Shane wiped away the small stream of plasma, "Fine. Just havin a little chat."  
"Mind if I talk ta Shane?"  
"Be my guest."

She watched as the two former cops went back to the camp.  
How Rick managed to put up with Shane's macho-man attitude was beyond her.

Riley closed her eyes and let the breeze cool her sweat soaked body.

"The hell was that 'bout?"

Riley opened her eyes at the unmistakable sound of Daryl's southern voice.  
"Nothing for you to worry about, redneck."  
"Didn't look like nothin."  
"What's it matter to you anyway?"

He shrugged as he leaned against the RV next to her.  
"I'm sorry. About your brother, I mean."  
He drew his lips into a thin line, "ain't your fault."

They stood in silence for a minute, before Daryl spoke up.  
"You're real dumb for comin' with us."

She smirked and looked at the man.  
"Why do you say that?"  
"I saw what happened when we was out huntin. That wasn't cuz ya were thirsty."  
She looked away from his blue eyes, and licked her teeth, "I don't know what you're talking about."  
Daryl moved closer, and gave her a hard stare, "I may be from the backwaters, but I ain't dumb. I ain't always gonna be there ta save ya ass."  
"As I recall, redneck, I did just fine on my own."  
The corners of his mouth picked up the tiniest bit, "C'mon, girlie. Ya can help load the van."

* * *

"Little bit more, okay, stop."

Glenn cut the engine to the white box van as Riley opened the back.

Rick and T-dog were talking to Dale and Jim, asking for wire cutters or something.

"You okay?" Riley asked Glenn, who looked like he would puke any moment.  
"Yeah... I'm fine, just a little nervous."  
"Come, sit." she patted the floor of the van.  
Hoisting herself up, she let her legs gently swing as Glenn pulled himself up.  
"Don't be scared. We'll get in, and get out. Piece of cake." Riley snapped her fingers, showing how quick they'd be.

"I'm not worried about getting there, I'm worried about getting Merle."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Think about it... Rick cuffed him to the roof, T-Dog dropped the key, you beat him up, and I'm asian. He won't exactly be happy to see any of us..."  
"Don't worry about it. You'll give yourself an ulcer."

As the two of them watched Rick and T-dog bargain for the cutters, Daryl was getting restless.  
He stepped on the horn, making the sound echo around the quarry.  
"C'mon, let's go!"

Riley gave Glenn a pat on the back, before helping T-Dog into the van.

Glenn went to the drivers side and Rick went to the passengers seat, leaving Daryl, T-Dog and Riley to sit in the back.  
Daryl slammed the back closed and Glenn started the engine, making the van buzz with life.

The drive to the city was silent. The only noise was gravel kicking at the undercarriage of the van.

Glenn had told the three in the back when they were entering the city limits.  
they had all agreed it was best to leave the van outside the city and walk the rest of the way.

"He better be okay. That's my only word on the matter." Daryl held his crossbow close and all but glared at T-Dog.  
"I told you... the geeks can't get at him. Only thing that's gonna get through that door is us."

Glenn cut the engine, "we walk from here."

Opening the back, Daryl was the first to jump out, followed by T-Dog then Riley.  
Walking down along the train tracks, the five of them drew their weapons of choice, and made their way to the city on foot.

Reaching a fence, T-Dog used the cutters to make a hole wide enough to slip through.

"Merle first? Or guns?"  
"Merle! We ain't even havin this conversation."  
"We are!" Rick addressed Glenn, "you know the geography, it's your call."  
"Merle's closets. Guns would be doubling back. Merle first."

They jogged as quietly as they could, hoping to go unnoticed by walkers for as long as possible.

"In here, quietly."

They entered the building, it was dark inside which made the small group on alert for any sign of danger.  
Gurgling from the back could be heard, making everyone raise their weapons.

Rick pointed out where the single walker roamed in the back.  
Lifting his crossbow, Daryl stayed low as he neared his target.

"Damn.." He raised his crossbow, "you are one ugly skank."

Releasing the bolt, it flew directly into the eye of the walker. She went down with a wet thud.  
Pulling his arrow from her skull, the sound of tissues pulling, and muscle tearing made a sickening noise.

"The stairs are this way." Glenn led the way.  
Rushing up the stairwell as fast as they could, Riley was secretly relieved to find the chain still intact.

Cutting the restraints, T-Dog pulled the padlock away while Daryl kicked open the door.

"Merle!"

They ran out onto the roof, not seeing the older Dixon anywhere.

"Merle!"

Instead of finding Merle, they found the handcuffs, and a bloody hand.

"NO!"


End file.
